Narrow Roads And Lightweight Bridges

[other dog]

I can't get my pictures to cooperate,so I'll tell you another story...it might belong in the nonsense category,but it's all true.This week I took A load of pipe up near Fairmont,W.V,and when I got off of I-79 and started to the job site on a very narrow road,I thought about about the $300 Mack hat story.This road was so narrow the right side tires were hanging off the pavement,and the left side tires were on the center line.Also had 20 and 25 mph curves,and I had only gone A little ways when I saw A sign saying 'CAUTION,ROAD NARROWS AHEAD" I thought they should have had A sign at first saying "NARROW ROAD" and the second one should have said "CAUTION,ROAD GETS EVEN NARROWER".I went on,and it must have only gotten about A half an inch narrower,because I really didn't see any difference.Then I turned right on A still smaller road and on to the job site,where they unloaded all the pipe by hand.But the thing of it is,I was perfectly legal on these roads,it was even marked on the map as A truck route.The road I got the ticket on is two lanes,but it's A big wide road,wide shoulders,and no sharp turns anywhere,no problem at all staying on your side of the road.So I thought maybe ...no,it couldn't be- or could it?- that the state just used it to generate revenue.I thought the exact same thing some years ago in Pa.I had unloaded A load of lumber somewhere around Allentown or Bethlehem and had to go to Fairless Hills to reload A load of steel,and had to be there by...I don't remember,4 or 5 o'clock probably,and this was on A Friday evening.So instead of going back north and hitting the interstate then going down the turnpike extension,I just went south on the road I was on,which I knew would take me to I-95 a bit north of Philadelphia. After A while I came upon A sign that said "9 ton bridge ahead".So I thought"...hmmm-there's A 9 ton bridge ahead".When I got to the bridge there were no signs saying "truck route" or "truck detour" or anything else.There was A road turning off to the right before I got to the bridge,but again,no signs saying "all trucks" or even where the road went.What to do?Nobody in sight ahead-nobody behind me-so I proceded across the bridge..I hadn't gone a quarter of A mile when I met A cop,hammer down,lights and siren going.I thought"gee,wonder what kind of emergency he's off to?" Then I looked in the mirror and he was turning around,and I realized that I was the emergency.I pulled over and he told me I couldn't cross the bridge I had just crossed.I asked if if there was some kind of alarm on the bridge,since he was there so quickly,but he said no,he saw me and knew I had to have crossed it,since there was nowhere I could have turned around.Of course I knew this was B.S. and lies,because no policeman is on routine patrol running at A high rate of speed with lights and siren on for nothing.But I didn't say anything,and was nothing but polite and courteous to him.He had me follow him down to A park,where his back-up met us.Got the portable scales out of his trunk -another bad sign perhaps? these were not state police,not DOT,but local cops-carrying portable scales with them ?Anyway,they proceded to weigh me with my empty flat bed then pulled out a really thick book,must have been about 8500 pages,then started to tell me about the fine,how it's figured,etc,blah,blah blah.while I'm thinking 'JUST WRITE THE TICKET,I'VE GOT A LOAD TO PICK UP".When he got to the part about the fine in this case was $3000 I almost fainted.That's right,it was over three THOUSAND dollars! They escorted me to the police station ,one in front and one behind so I couldn't make A break for the border,and told me the truck was impounded until the fine was paid-in cash.The officer took me to A Western Union office so my company could wire the money,then to the biggest grocery store in the area so I could get the money order cashed,then on to the proper town office to pay the fine.If I didn't get it paid in full,in cash by 5 o'clock,I was going to spend the weekend in jail.IN JAIL! For crossing the bridge! I got the money in time,my company was very understanding,paid the fine and they told me I was free to go.I didn't even get A ticket-once they got the cash,they were through with me. The officer took me back to my truck after the fine was paid,but I still had to ride in the back seat. I figured that bridge was this town's "golden goose".Another lesson learnd,A very expensive one too! I don't remember the name of the town,but it was Bucks County.Haven't been there since!

[other dog]

Good story,and it may be true,but it's way too long! Next time go with the condensed version...oh,it IS the condensed version? never mind then.

[de37champ]

i can under stand it, back in the late 80,s we worked around fairmont at the coal mines, getting equitment in was interesting alot of times, the winter is the best time, you better have tire chains, more than once we would unload rubber tire machines and just road them, a couple of times we did the same with dozers

[ciw65]

"Bucks" County. How appropriate.

[other dog]

"Bucks" County. How appropriate.

yeah! never made the connection before,that's it though!